Rolling mill guide



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Nov. 16, 1937. s. FINDLATER 2,099,473

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Nov. 16, 1937. s. FINDLATER 2 1 37 ROLLING MILL. GUIDE Filed Sept. 24,1956 3 Sheet-Sheet 3 llllllllll l! Patented Nov. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES2,099,473 ROLLING MILL GUIDE Stevenson Findlater, McKeespoi-t, Pa.,minor to National Tube Company, a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationSeptember 24, 1936, Serial No. 102,411

6 Claims.

This invention relates to rolling mill guides and more particularly toguides for metal workpieces, such as bars, shells, pipes, tubes, bloomsor billets, that are entering or leaving a rolling mill.

In the art of rolling metals, a great deal of diflicultyhas beenexperienced in guiding the various sized work-pieces. This hasnecessitated providing a large stock of different sized guides which notonly is quite expensive but takes up a large amount of floor space inthe mill. In addition, a great loss of time and labor has been involvedin changing the guides to accommodate the section being rolled. Further,it has beenparticularly diflicult to provide suitable guides forreversing mills employing a plurality of passes".

It is accordingly among the objects of my invention to provide aneflicient rolling-mill guide which is readily adjustable to accommodate.sections that vary over a wide range-of dimensions. and one which is, atthe same time, well adapted for use on mills of existing design.

Another object is the provision of a device of the class described whichis inexpensive to install 11; and maintain.

The foregoing and other objects will be apparent after referring to thedrawings. i which:

Figure 1 is a plan of the device of the invention. Figure 2 is a sideelevation. Figure 3 is an enlarged end elevation.

I Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view on the line IV-'-IV of Figure3.

Figure 5 is a plan of a modified form ofthe device of the invention.

Figure 6 is an end elevation, partly in section.

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line VII-VII of Figure 6.

. A preferred embodiment of my universal guide consists of a train oftwo-high guide roll units, each unit consisting of a top roll 3 and abottom roll 4 having a plurality of complementary tapering grooves Xaroundtheir peripheries, the train being disposed at either the entranceand/or the exit side' of a rolling mill Ac The rolls 3 and l are mountedin bearings 5 which are mounted on suitable side-1rame members 6 and3'}. The shaft 1 of each of the rolls 3 and l carries a keyed gear 8which meshes with an individual wormgear 9, the latter being secured toa shaft ii that is rotatably mounted in bearings ii, on the side-framemembers 3 and This shaft I3 is driven by a conveniently disposed motor 13 through a reduction gear I and flexible couplings l5.

According to the preferred embodiment, which duction unit ll, whereuponthe gears 8 and 9 readily lends itself to the tubular arts, the groovesare half-round, but they may, of course, be of other shape, such assquare, rectangular, oblong, oval, etc. The axes of the grooves X are ina vertical plane, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rolls 3and 4 so that the center line of the groove will not change as the rollis rotated. v I

The top and bottom rolls 3 and 4 are posi- -'tioned so'that thehalf-round grooves X form between them a round groove to guide the work-.piece, the rolls being positioned so that the grooves are of the samesize in each complementary pair of the train. The rolls 3 and 4 are sodisposed that the center line of their respective grooves is in the sameplane as the center line of the pass of the rolling-mill, which, aspreviously mentioned, is indicated at A. The number of grooves Xin therolls 3 and 4 should bethe same as the number of working passes B in therolling mill A, each being in line therewith. The length of the train ofrolls 3 and l and their numberv are such that guiding area is providedat suitable intervals throughout the length of the work-piece. I

In operation, when the sizeof the work-piece being processed on the millis changed, the motor i3 is energized which acts to rotate the shaft Illthrough the flexible couplings l5, and gear reare synchronously rotatedtopartially rotate in like manner the rolls 3' and 4. The amount ofpartial rotation of the rolls 3 and 4 is determined by the size of thegroove desired. Thus, all of the rolls will be turned the same part of arevolution and the size of their respective grooves will be changed thesame amount.

Referring to Figures 5, 6 and 'l of the drawings, a modified form of theinvention is shown as comprising a pair of peripherally grooved rolls 3which are transversely movable into alignment with any of the passesofthe rolling-mill A. The rolls 3 of Figures 5,8 and 'l are provided withsingle tapering grooves X in lieu of the plurality of grooves in therolls 3 of Figures 1 through 43 45 and are rotated in the same manner asthe latter. v 1

According to this modification the -shafts 13 which carry this pair ofrolls 3 are in section while the rolls are provided with correspondinglyshaped central apertures 23. These rolls 3] are provided with lateralextensions 2| which carryenlarged boss portions 22. A yoke 23 isprovided for connecting these boss'protions 22. A

shaft is connected to the yoke 23 and extends through the side-framemember 8*. The extended end of this shaft 24 is threaded, as shown at26. An extension 21 is carried by the sideframe member 6 and has anaperture through which the threaded end 26 of the shaft 24 extends.

The extension 21 on the side-frame member 6 carries a nut 29 which is inthreaded engagement with the threaded end 25 of the shaft 2. 'This nut29 carries a worm gear 30. A suitably driven shaft 3| is disposedbeneath the worm gear 3|! and carries a worm 32 which meshes therewith.From the foregoing it will be seen that the rotation of the shaft 3|will adjust the rolls 3 into and out of any lateral position.

While I have shown and described several specific embodiments of myinvention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limitedexactly thereto, since various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention, as defined by the followingclaims.

I claim: 3

1. A rolling mill guide comprising a plurality of pairs of rotatablecomplementary guide-forming rolls, each of said rolls having a pluralityof grooves of gradually increasing diameter around its periphery,whereby a plurality of series of guide passes of variable size areformed between said rolls, and means for synchronously rotating saidrolls.

-2. A rolling mill guide comprising a pair of rotatable complementaryguideforming rolls, each of said rolls having a groove of graduallyincreasing diameter I around its periphery, and means for moving saidrolls axially.

having a groove of gradually increasing diameter around its'periphery,means for synchronously rotating, said rolls, and means for moving saidrolls axially. V

5. In combination with a rolling mill, a stationary guide deviceconstructed and arranged to present a guiding surface to a work-pieceduring the movement of the latter; said guide device comprising a pairof rotatable complementary guide-forming rolls, each of said rollshaving a groove of gradually increasing diameter around its periphery.

v 6. A rolling mill guide, comprising a plurality of pairs of rotatablecomplementary guide-forming rolls, each of said rolls-having a pluralityoi. grooves of gradually increasing diameter around its peripherywhereby a plurality of series of guide passes of variable size areformed between said rolls.

STEVENSON FINDLATER.

